Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon

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5:45am–My alarm goes off.

6:05am–I walk out the door.

6:07am–I realize that I can’t make it another step without a copious amount of coffee and bagels.  Maybe donuts too.

6:15am–I arrive at the CARA (Chicago  Area Runners Association) water station for the Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon with a bag of bagels, donuts AND muffins after a Dunkin Donuts stop.

6:30am–25,000 runners start their race.  Man-Friend ran it, as well as several of my friends and it could not have been a more gorgeous day.  I was absolutely blown away by how courteous these runners were!  I know our water station was at mile 3 and people were still pretty fresh but pretty much every runner who grabbed a cup of water for me said thank you, thank you for volunteering.  I don’t know about you but when I run, my focus is on putting one foot in front of another.  These people had 10 miles ahead of them but still took the time to share some love.

After I was done hydrating some rockin’ runners, I headed to Buckingham Fountain to wait for Man-Friend to finish the race.

I watched as the runners met up with their loved ones, locals had their morning coffee and met a nice little Vizsla named Scout.  Ryan did great–he was out of town all week for work and didn’t get back until Saturday evening but got his butt out there and ran the 13.1.  I’m so proud of him!  I’m absolutely on board now to kick up my marathon training.  I have a little over 2 months and as long as I increase my long runs by 2 miles each week, I will be hitting over 20miles by October.  It’s in the bag.

Congrats on the Half Marathon, Ryan, Mike, Lindsay, Christina, Carina, Bill and Giuliana!  (I had to throw Bill and Giuliana in there because I ran into them while I was running down Michigan Avenue this morning so they’re practically my neighbors, ya know?)

High Five of the Day: Our basil plant is now 4 weeks old and alive and well.  This is a record for me.  I am loving being able to walk over to the window and pluck off leaves to throw in our dinner–definitely made our sun-dried tomato, roasted red pepper and chicken pasta last night oh-so-delicious.

Softball Saturday

adminbeer, Chicago, Chicago Rec Sports, Corcoran's, Linda, Married Mike, Saturday Morning, softball, Team Get In The Van We Have Candy, Uncategorized%s Comments

My friends are a very well rounded group.  In addition to their 9-5s, they are actors, volunteers, singers, writers, video gamera and now, every Saturday morning at 10am, recreational softball league players.  Team “Get In The Van, We Have Candy” no longer partakes in consuming (too many) adult beverages on Friday nights because they have to be ready for “the game” the next morning.  They are dedicated.  They are committed.  They go to sleep with their Corcoran’s t-shirts freshly pressed and their mits polished, dreaming of a victory that will put them in the Chicago Recreational Sports Hall of Fame.

Never mind that both teams they have played consisted of middle aged co-workers who have finely tuned their game over the course of the last 20 years.  Never mind that the girls on the team don’t know how to play their positions.  Never mind that my friend Linda was heckled into striking out by her own boyfriend.  This is a team with their eye on the prize because they have already won an award so prestigious, so elusive, so surprising because no one even knew this award was up for grabs.

Team “Get In The Van We Have Candy” was awarded “Best Team Name in All of Chicago Rec League Sports”.  Before the season even started.

I mean, really–it’s all how we measure success.  Those old folk opponents of “Team Get In The Van We Have Candy” might measure it by getting so far ahead that the mercy rule is invoked within 45 minutes.  But “Team Get In The Van We Have Candy” knows the true accolades are those felt in the heart, not seen with the eye.

Besides, Coach Matt came up with a game plan for today, at the request of players looking for more direction: Drink more beer sooner.  The game may be at noon, but drinking starts at 10am.

High five team, high five.

I Love March

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Oh you know, just sitting here, drinking some coffee, enjoying a sunny Saturday morning, reveling in a Spartan win last night that advances us to the Elite 8!  Personally, I don’t love March, I think it’s an unnecessarily long winter month, but Tom Izzo loves March.  And I love Tom Izzo.  And I love being a Spartan.  So, in turn. I guess that means March and I are making peace.

There are tons of Spartan alumni in Chicago.  When I wear something Michigan State, 9 times out of 10, I will hear a “Go Green!” shouted from across the street.  And I dutifully follow up with a “Go White.”  Yes, my knuckles are pretty much permanently white from every single basketball and football game I’ve ever watched.  Yes, entire days have been ruined when my team blows a massive lead (I still can’t talk about Notre Dame ’06).  But nothing feels better than watching the team you love, watching the school you love get the W. Spartan Pride is unlike anything I’ve ever seen and I’m so proud to be a part of that tradition.

Go Green, indeed.

Lovie Dovie Day and Dirk’s Fish

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Busy weekend.  Ryan had a 2 day conference and I had a work event.  Since there would not be much downtime, I figured I’d get some good girlfriend brownie points and take care of Valentine’s Day.  “Honey, don’t worry about making plans, I’ll just do it.”  Which was super nice of me…until Friday night when I realized that no plans had been actioned.  I frantically texted my friend, who is referred to as Married Mike in Corey’s blog, asking where he gets fish to make sushi.  “Dirk’s Fish on Clybourn” was Married Mike’s reply.  So, after a call to Dirk at 5pm on Saturday making sure there was still fish,  I sprinted to Dirk’s Fish to put a Valentine’s date together.

Dirk’s Fish was fantastic.  Sushi grade fish, live lobster and crab, every kind of fish soup you can imagine and really, really nice fish connoisseurs that were very helpful as I explained my plight.  They set me up with this:

Yes, including that scaly guy on the right.  He was turned into sea bass I could roll into sushi right before my eyes.  With some tuna, salmon, sea bass, seaweed wrap, mango, cucumber, wasabi and pickled ginger in my hot little hands, I thanked Dirk for saving Valentine’s Day and sprinted home.

A few hours and a bottle of champagne later, Ryan and I had created this:

Dirk’s Fish has cooking classes that I definitely want to check out but for an in-home attempt, I don’t think we did too bad.

High Five of the Day: All of the amazing runners that showed up in frigid temps to run the 5k on Saturday!  With over 60 people and tons of goodies from Keihl’s, The Goddess and the Grocer, Element Bar, Vita Coco, Starbucks and Farmer Tom, the event was a huge success.  And super fun! Thanks to all the runners and a HUGE thanks to my friends who ran–I am so grateful for your support!